Finally a Mauser HSc

[Storm]

Growing up in the Sixties and early Seventies I collected Replica Model guns. For those of you not familair with these they were full scale replicas of significant firearms geenrally made from cheaper metals, probably pot metal and maybe some steel. This was before they put those doggone bright orange plugs in the end of the barrels. All in all they were very well done and would actually chamber and extract dummy solid brass rounds. As an adult and a shooter and gun collector I have found myself aquiring many of the real versions of the replicas I collected as a kid all the way from the PPK to the P38 to the 1911 to the Model 19. Unfortunately, a Luger and 1896 Mauser has eluded me as an adult. Up until today a Mauser HSc had also.

A few weeks back a local shop took on consignment an incredible collection of WWII era and newer guns featuring many rare WWII guns in amazing condition. Among those guns (which were quickly cherry-picked) was a newer Mauser HSc in 380 ACP. The price was $579 and the gun was in 100% condition probably unfired other than the three shots at the factory. Money is tight so I let it sit.

Recently some gun money fell into my pocket and the HSc popped back into my head. While $550 to $650 is the going price on GB for a gun like this $579 was a bit more than I could do. This morning I went to the shop and offered $500 and they countered at $529, their bottom line. That was $20 uner my limit, so I came home with the gun. It is cmplete with box, extra mag, manual and factory test target. The gun is from October 1970 and I can see no evidence that it was fired other than at the factory. For all intensive purposes it's new in box.

I've been watching these guns on Gunbroker for years and this is the very first one that I've seen show up in a shop. I had decided that this was one that would be bought in person. Thatthe very first one that I have run across would be the perfect gun is just icing on the cake.

Now if I could just find the right Luger and 1896 Mauser for the right price.

 

[sta500rdr]

I inherited an old mauser .25 cal pistol. It's manufacture date is 1918 and in the literature in the box it actually states "production is limited due to the majority of the companies resources tied up in government contracts". Hmmm I wonder what that could mean.... I thought it was pretty interesting. Turns out my great grandmother carried that in her purse when they moved to Pittsburg in the 1920's. A neat piece of history, congrats!

 

[Storm]

A neat piece of history, congrats!

Thanks! I was surprised that the gun was still there when I went back for it. Had I looked at more closely a couple of weeks ago I wouldn't have let it sit that long. Scoring a waht looks to be a NIB 39 year old gun makes me very happy, especially this one.

As to your grandmother's gun, 1918, hmmm, wonder what those resources might have been tied up in I collect early to mid 20th Century European semi autos and the surprising thing is that overall you dont see much if any quality drop-off for wartime produced pistols compared to post-war in terms of fit or finish (P38s and FNs might be an exeption). With Mausers some even suggest that the Model 1914 was about as good as it got. My experience is that quality stayed pretty constant even during wartime, with posssibly the exception of later in WWII. Even the WWII Beretta 1935 was pretty darn good. I recently picked up a circa 1916 second variation Walther Modell 4 and by the quality you would never know that the gun was built right in the middle of WWI. I hope the guns of today hold up as well as some of these old ones.

 

[jon_in_wv]

I was at a pawn shop a few years ago and they had one just like yours for 200 bucks. At the time I didn't know what it was so I went home to research it. I ran back the next day to buy it and it was already gone. Damnit. Yours looks great, congrats!!

 

[Mad Magyar]

My HSc was one of the most accurate pistols I owned...Kudos....
Never had a hiccup and I carried it in my jacket pocket when I took walks.

 

[whatnickname]

Mauser HSC

When I was a kid, the old guy that lived down the street and knew I liked guns. We made a deal, with the permission of my parents, I cut his grass all summer and he gave me a Mauser HSC in .32 ACP in near mint condition with a holster and Nazi proof marks. This was something he brought back from France after WWII. The pistol functioned flawlessly and is to this day one of the best looking pieces of its type I have ever seen. As I got older I became disenchanted with the lowly .32 and as smart a business man as I was I sold the pistol for the goodly sum of $175! Of course by the time I reached my 40s, I used to administer regular ass-kickings to myself for parting with that pistol in the first place. This went on for a number of years until I came across an HSC at a gun show that, like yours, looked almost like new and was chambered for .380. Being of better means I bought the pistol for around $375 as I recall...problem solved...the itch had been scratched and I was once again a happy man...that is until I took the gun to the range for the first time. It turns out that the reason the gun looked unfired was that it practically was! If you manually placed a round in the chamber it would fire but it would not feed from either of the mags that came with the gun. Interarms was still in business at the time so I contacted their techs for assistance. Here is what I learned: The commercial models produced from the 1970s on were more problems than anything else. Some would run all of the time, some would only run part of the time and some wouldn't run at all! I returned the pistol to them and they did improve its reliability but not to the degree that I could ever trust it to work in a real emergency. I hope you got a good one.

 

[Storm]

Wow! I've read a boatlaod of comments about the later rpoduction HSc over the last 24 hours and that's the first I've heard about such reliability problems. In fact, I've only heard the opposite. I hope yours was an anomaly. I'll find out when I go to the range with it.

BTW, the major issue that I've read about the HSc is that to get reliability it is necessary to download the gun by one round. I'm headed to the range to give the gun a quick try.

 

[whatnickname]

PS Takedown system

BTW...this thing has one of the strangest systems of field stripping you'll ever see. Pretty cool actually but I have yet to see anything quite as unique!

 

[Billy Shears]

Wow! I've read a boatlaod of comments about the later rpoduction HSc over the last 24 hours and that's the first I've heard about such reliability problems. In fact, I've only heard the opposite. I hope yours was an anomaly. I'll find out when I go to the range with it.

It wasn't that much of an anomaly. I bought one last year, an Interarms import also, that couldn't make it through an entire magazine without at least one to two stoppages. I put it up for sale in the local trading post as soon as I got back from my one and only range session with it.

 

[capttom]

I've owned three HScs over the past four decades, all imported by Interarms and all were new in the box. One wouldn't reliably feed ball. The other brace were great. HScs can be carried "cocked and locked"; not really, but the safety blocks the firing pin and doesn't drop the hammer, so you don't have to wrestle with the sorry double action pull unless you want to. I love the last shot hold open: insert the mag and the slide closes without further manipulation. The design is sleek. The semi-shrouded hammer is cool. Although the heel clip magazine retention is a hassle compared to a button, speed reloads probably aren't a problem with guns of this type.

 

[whatnickname]

Like I said

Some ran all of the time, some ran some of the time and some would not run at all! Bottom line: you're rolling the dice on these pistols!

 

[Storm]

RANGE REPORT:

whatnickname's post of his problems got me to narrow my search a bit directed more at reliability, and I did find some more reports consistent with exactly what he experienced. BTW, thanks for taking the time to convey your negative experience as I really needed to find out if my gun was a keeper or not as the shop would stand behind it for a short period. Had I had no warning I might have waited too long to shoot the gun. Ranges have been really crowded lately and the gun wouldn't have been high up on my list to shoot. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. That got me off my duff and I took a long lunch hour to take the ten minute drive to my local range to give the HSc a test. I also took along my Interarms PPK for a comparison, and my S&W 629 44 Mag and FN 5.7 because I love to shoot them.

I shot both the HSc and PPK with 92 grain S&B FMJ. Out of the first three magazines with the HSc there were two failures to eject, a new round nosing into the unejected spent round in both instances. Honestly, I hadn't cleaned the gun before I left for the range (time was short as it was lunch) and the gun still had what looked to be factory grease in it. Also, I experienced a very light hammerbite, so I might have been limp wristing a bit in anticipation of a bite that I didn't yet know would remain minimal. I shifted my grip a little putting the web of my hand out of harms way and became more cautious about a very firm grip drawing the thumb of my offhand inward a bit, a technique I had used to fire my G36 reliably. I'm not sure what helped, the gun breaking in a bit, or shifting my grip, or being more aware of it, but the next 130 or so rounds went without a hitch with no malfunctions whatsoever. I'm not saying that anyone else's problems were similar to my initial ones, or if they were nothing more than a "new" gun getting through the first few mags and loosening up a bit, but the gun ran like a champ. I've had other guns hiccup a bit early on and then run straight thereafter. Kinda hard to say.

Recoil was stiff but not unpleasant, typical for a smaller .380. As an aside, it always amazes me when this kind of gun is recommended for new women shooters when a .380 can be a stout round. I think the mass of this gun helps to keep recoil in check, but my PPK which, I believe to be a good bit lighter, seems to have less recoil. Still, the HSc is very manageable and rather smooth. Care must be taken to avoid hammerbite, but slidebite isn't an issue at all. My hammerbite with the HSc was about as minimal as can be with just the lightest of grazing, just enough to know that contact was made.

The HSc trigger is much heavier than my PPK, but, to be fair, my PPK has seen a lot of rounds and this HSc is obviously fresh and not at all broken in. I only shot the gun single action cocking the hammer for the first shot, and I must say that the trigger feels better in shooting than in dry firing. I find that to be true with many guns. I wasn't really working on accuracy and was shooting the gun at ten yards. Shots were high and strung out horizontally. Then, some shots were going low, again strung out horizontally, but they were grouping consistently together and not shifting between high and low within the same mag. I think this is due to an intitially stiff trigger and me trying to find my way with it. It will take some work, but there were enough shots right in the ten ring to let me know that the issue was mine and not the guns. It will take some work but I think the potential is there and the rest is up to me. Sights with this gun are minimal, and in lower light conditions it becomes point and shoot. They are almost guttersnipe sights, especially with the front sight "buried" in a recess that runs the length of the top of the slide.

As a side note, that PPK continues to amaze me. At 15 yards I was grouping into a couple of inches right in the X-ring at about 7 o'clock. As I was running a comparison with the HSc I wasn't shooting for maximum accuracy as I would have been otherwise, but still the gun continues to impress me big time being far more accurate than I would have expected.

Next range trip I will shoot the HSc one handed. While I do not intend to use this gun for self-defense, I do require a SD gun to be shot reliably one-handed, and I'm curious to see if the HSc can hack it in that mode.

It appears that at least I don't have one of the troubled HSc, with a very encouraging start.

Again, thanks for the warnings. At the very least it got me to the range, and that is a very good thing.

BTW, it's an interesting contrast to shoot a .380 right next to a 44 magnum.

 

[whatnickname]

Glad I could help

Looks like you got a good one. If I could locate one that I knew would shoot this well I would buy it in a heart-beat. Hands down I feel that this is one of the most attractive pistols of this type that has ever been built. Yes, I'm still kicking myself for selling the little .32 that basically shot anything I put in it. The only other suggestion I have is to note the brand of ammo that shot so well and go get yourself plenty more...these things can be ammo sensitive!

 

[Storm]

The only other suggestion I have is to note the brand of ammo that shot so well and go get yourself plenty more...these things can be ammo sensitive!

I think that is good advice and quite true. Luckily so far mine likes Sellior & Bellot, which tends to be reasonably priced. I did have another brand with me (Atlanta Arms FMJ, I think) and I should have thought to try some just to start to get an idea how much ammo sensitivity will be an issue.

Also, I think you are right on the money about getting the .32 ACP, although finding one in that caliber will be more difficult as far fewer in .32 were made. The .32 is said to be smoother and frame cracking with .380 and the HSc seems to be somewhat of an issue towards higher round counts. This gun probably won't be shot enough for that to be an issue. I do like .32 in European semi-autos and spent a lot of time with .32 out of an HK4, although the one that I have now is also .380.

I think that the best bet for finding the right reliable HSC will be to find one at auction that has a return policy that allows for trial firing.

BTW, the HK4 is said to be a somewhat updated version of the HSc, and tonight I'm going to break them both down and compare them side-by-side.

 

[capttom]

Storm said
BTW, the HK4 is said to be a somewhat updated version of the HSc, and tonight I'm going to break them both down and compare them side-by-side.

I think you're correct on the similarities. It seems that HK hired some Mauser employees in the early 60s when the company was set up. The roller blocking on their early pistols after all originated with Mauserwerke during WW2.
An Italian company (Renato Gamba?)also marketed a Super HSc, a double stacked .380 ACP. I've never seen one, but have never been interested in wide body minor calibres. They lose their reason for existence: slimness for carry. I have a .32 ACP Beretta New Puma that I sometimes carry because it's so handy, although it's not my primary choice. It's the same length as a J-frame but slimmer and gives me 17 rounds with one reload as opposed to 10 with the Smith. 17 .32s = 10 .38s? Good question. Is there a definitive answer?

 

[4v50 Gary]

My father bought one in .380 acp (9mm kurz) over 30 years ago. He paid $195 for it. $529 today is a lot less than $195 back then so you did great. BTW, it jammed a lot so he took it to the local gunsmith. The local gunsmith worked on enough of them and was sick of them. He declined the job. My father took some needle files and worked on the ramp and got it to work.

 

[Storm]

I've also been somewhat interested in the Italian version (it is indeed "Renata Gamba") but decided to get the "original" German one first. There's nothing quite like the original.

BTW, as 4v50 Gary has said, for guns with problems, working on the ramp a bit seems to do the trick for some. I'd be curious to know what about the ramp causes problems on some guns and not others. I wonder if it was a fix that Mauser eventually initiated, and after that point the HSC not being so problematical. Next tme I'm to my smith (I have a Sauer & Sohn 1913 to pick up) I'll see what he says about it.

 

[HisSoldier]

My S&W PPK/S had a problem with occasional 3 point jams and I found that a very tiny radius at the bottom of the chamber where it met the ramp solved it.

BTW, I've also been looking for an HSC, the reason it's taken so long is that obnoxious heel mag release. I'm pretty opinionated about such things but have to admit that several guns in my collection have them. That Italian version has a conventional release.
http://www.gunsamerica.com/93225784...auser_Super_HSc_380_Semi_Automatic_Pistol.htm

 

[panther22]

I hope you have good luck with yours. Like you, the HSc was at the top of my list of guns I really wanted. I stopped into a store one day just moments after they had traded for one. It came with the original box, two mags, test target, etc. I got it for $350. It was an Interarms, but I wasn't worried.
I took it right out with some good ammo. It jammed alot. I hadn't shot more then 3 mags through it when I noticed the trigger wasn't resetting. I looked down and saw the pin that holds the trigger in place sticking out of the right side of the gun.
I took it back to the shop and had their gunsmith check it. It turned out that the pin broke in half.
They made me the offer to fix it, or give me store credit. I took the credit and bought a Ruger.

 

[searcher451]

There's one in a local shop for $395. It's a post-war model in great shape with wood grips; no box or papers, just the gun and a single mag. I've taken a look and wouldn't mind having it, but that #&#_!*&*# Interarms stamp on the right-hand side of slide is so big that it covers half the gun. Too bad someone didn't introduce those Interarms boys to a microstamping lesson somewhere along the line. What the heck were they thinking, anyway?

 

[Storm]

Yeah, that Interarms billboard is rather obnoxious. I try and pretend like it isn't there, or just rationalize it away by pretending that it adds character. Thaks heavens they had the common sense not to do that with either my Interarms PP Super, PPK, PPKs, or P5.

 

[PX15]

FWIW:

A friend of mine was given one by an elderly widow of a gentleman he knew.. Seems it had never been fired as the fellow brought it home without consulting the "boss" and she wouldn't let him.. So apparently the beautiful old HSC was placed on the top shelf in the closet and just sat there until the gentleman's death.

I've always thought the HSC one of the prettiest pistols ever made... I wanted one for a long time but was then scared off when I read about how bad the trigger was (a product of it's design). I had never heard anything about reliability problems.

I think the HSC is a beautiful firearm and if you want one, buy one. But honestly there are better 32 ro 380 cal. choices out there now if you plan to do anything other than plink with it.

Just personal opinion, certainly no offense to the gentleman who bought the fine HSC who started the thread.

Best Wishes,

Jesse

 

[sagegrouse]

Mauser Hsc reliability

My Hsc never mallfunctions with standard velocity ammunition. I load my own since standard velocity ammo is hard to find. I bought the Mauser from a freind that assured me that it would always fire the first round but maybe not the next. I was told by a gun store owner that some European pistols just would not function with American ammo. That gave me the idea to try loads that were used 70 years ago when the Hsc was designed. I found loads that would work by starting with the minimum sugested loads and working up until a malfunction would occur out of 50 rounds fired. I backed off from that load 5% and never had any malfunctions since either with JHP or FMJ.